Demus: The Prince And The Milkman

Getting To Know Your Friends

At being tackled from behind, Janus had a few thoughts running through his mind. 

The first was that he was going to die, a very clear thought that stabbed into his heart and lungs like an icicle and froze every muscle in his body. 

The next was a set of plans for escaping, which included punching the person in the face and running away as fast as he could-- something that he wasn't exactly sure he could do, but at that moment, he was more than willing to try. 

And the third was that Disi was going to be so mad that he had gotten knocked off of Janus's shoulder. 

The first two were all well and fine, but the third kind of made Janus pause for a few seconds to think what the fuck, brain, at himself. In that hesitation he realized that... he wasn't being stabbed. Nobody was putting a bag over his head to kidnap him. And he certainly wasn't being eaten alive. 

He turned around quicker than he thought was possible, looking around for where Disi had landed (the dragon had stumbled onto a patch of moss and was currently trying to regain his dignity), and he spotted a very familiar face. 

Well, two faces. 

"Remus! Remy!" Janus cried, eyes wide as he took the two in. Both had mud smudged on their faces, and Remy had a fern leaf tangled in his hair. He cleared his throat, blushing a little as he remembered that princes were not supposed to sound relieved. Princes should sound-- oh, what the fuck. 

He tackled Remus back, wrapping his arms around the other's shoulders and pulling him into a tight hug, and the two rolled onto a soft patch of grass. Relief swept over him and Janus realized that he was somehow laughing and crying at the same time, but who cared? 

"I thought you were a serial killer, you half-wit," he complained, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. Remy watched the two with an amused smile, walking over to scoop Disi into his arms. 

Remus shrugged, sitting right up and grinning back at Janus. "I thought ya died, so let's call it even," he returned, jumping to his feet and nearly falling back over again. "I just have one request for you, your glorious majesty-- never. Do. That. Again." 

"I don't plan to," Janus retorted, crossing his arms. He was soon smacked across the face by a cannonballing dragon, though, as Remy tossed Disi back to the prince. He yelped and caught an armful of the tiny creature, stumbling back to the ground with a small thud. 

Remy laughed. "He's a teensy bit like a cat, ain't he?" he asked jokingly, strolling over to where the two were and extending a hand to help Janus up. Grumbling, Janus begrudgingly accepted the help off the ground. 

Janus dusted off his pants, rolling his eyes a little. "Maybe-- oof!" He jumped in surprise as Disi launched himself onto his back, latching himself onto Janus's shoulders and snuggling firmly into the prince's neck. Janus patted the dragon's fuzzy head and laughed as Disi nuzzled into the crook of his neck. 

"Sorry, Janus," Remus teased, jumping to his feet and kicking embarrassedly at a tree root. He was taller than Janus was, like all the others. It made Janus feel a little small, but he would never admit it if his life depended on it. "We were just worried. The rest of the group's back at the cart, waiting for us to get back." He nodded in the direction the two had come. 

Janus peered into the line of trees, squinting into the shadowed canopy of leaves and branches. Dim, pale green light filtered through the leaves, dappled with a faint buttery gold of sunshine, and small things rustled about in the undergrowth. Disi chirped a little and tilted his head at the forest. "Vamanos," he urged Janus, nudging him with his snout.